But there are more benefits of Viagra for men than erectile dysfunction. We're going over some of them below.

Benefits of Viagra for Men

The pharmaceutical company Pfizer introduced "the little blue pill" in 1998. In the last 20 years, Viagra has helped millions of men while setting set the bar for all erectile dysfunction drugs.

Treats Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Of course, when you hear the name "Viagra," you think of erectile dysfunction. But that wasn't the intended use for it when Pfizer developed it more than 30 years ago.

Pfizer chemists developed Sildenafil citrate, the main ingredient in Viagra, in 1989. Their goal was to create a drug that treats high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary arterial hypertension) and chest pain. But when the drug ran through its clinical testing, it didn't perform well.

So, Sildenafil citrate became Viagra and started treating impotence. Pfizer continued working on Sildenafil to treat heart and lung issues. Today, it's given to newborns who are born with serious lung conditions.

Sildenafil works the same way in adults as it does in infants. It widens the blood vessels to keep oxygen-rich blood distributed throughout the body.

Prevents Congestive Heart Failure

If Viagra opens up the blood vessels to keep oxygenated blood flow to the lungs, it's going to be good for the heart too. Studies have shown that Viagra prevents muscle thickening in the heart and early-stage heart failure in men.

High blood pressure and other heart conditions cause left ventricular hypertrophy. Aided by the enzyme PDE5, the condition enlarges and thickens the wall of the left ventricle, the heart's "pumping station."

In other words, the enzyme changes the shape of the heart muscle. Sildenafil citrate is a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i) that blocks PDE5. The study also found that Sildenafil improves the heart's function and lowers the heart rate during exercise.

A study monitoring men's sex life after a heart attack found Viagra also helped them from having another one. The men who took Viagra after a heart attack for erectile dysfunction were 40% less likely to experience heart failure again.

Prevents High Altitude Sickness

Less than 10 years after Viagra hit the market as an erectile dysfunction drug, scientists discovered other benefits for the drug. One benefit is that Sildenafil citrate helps High Altitude Sickness.

It happens when someone who isn't used to being at high altitudes reaches them too quickly. This happens because the air is "thinner" and people get less oxygen in each breath.

Mild symptoms like a headache, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and sleeping issues are common. They develop about 12 hours after arriving but can take up to 96 hours to surface.

One in five people who travel to the Rocky Mountains experience High Altitude Sickness symptoms. It's also called Mountain Sickness as Mountain climbers often experience the same symptoms.

Severe cases do occur. In these cases, High Altitude Pulmonary Edema can develop, which is fluid in the lungs. The same way Viagra treats Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, it treats High Altitude Sickness.

A study on elite cyclists who train in high altitudes found taking Viagra daily helped their overall performance.

45% of the cyclists who took Viagra improved their cardiovascular and exercise performance. The researches found Sildenafil citrate reduced the constriction of the cyclists' lungs.

Helps Gastroparesis in Diabetics

Gastroparesis is a condition that weakens the muscles of the stomach. It prevents the stomach from emptying as fast as it should. Diabetes (type 1 and 2) is the leading cause of gastroparesis.

High blood sugar damages the vagus nerve, which controls emptying the stomach contents into the small intestine.

Johns Hopkins University found that Viagra relaxes the stomach muscles, including the vagus nerve. Researchers also found that Viagra helps blood sugar stay at steady levels.

Helps Prevents Certain Cancers

One of the biggest risk factors for developing colon cancer is a mutation in a gene called the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC). APC is a tumor suppressor. People with the mutation develop hundreds of colorectal polyps which leads to cancer.

Researchers at the Georgia Cancer Center and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Augusta University claim that taking a small dose of Viagra daily can

Scientists mutated genes in mice so they developed polyps. The researchers added Sildenafil citrate to the mice's water every day and results showed the number of polyps reduced by half. The researchers are hoping their findings will lead to human clinical trials.

Researchers at

Virginia Commonwealth University Medicine and VCU Massey Cancer Center studied different drugs that work with the chemotherapy drug Doxorubicin. Their goal was to find a drug that was safe on the heart.

Doxorubicin has treated several cancers over 40 years, prostate included. The side effect is that it causes irreversible heart damage. After 15 years, the researchers found combining Viagra with Doxorubicin shrinks the cancerous tumors while keeping the heart healthy.

VCU is hoping their findings move to human clinical trials.

Relieve Enlarged Prostate Symptoms

Harvard Men's Health Watch published a study in 2011 linking erectile dysfunction and benign prostatic hyperplasia, or enlarged prostate. They found they have something in common beyond affecting aging men: Viagra.

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